Lake kayaking tragedy leaves student’s family heartbroken
Six of them were on the island, which is where the main group was, and five of them were scattered.
The parents of one of the two men who died on Lake Tekapo are ‘‘heartbroken’’ and ‘‘in disbelief’’, a family member says.
Two overseas students, 21-yearold Daniel Hollnsteiner, of New York, and 20-year-old James Murphy, of London, died on the lake on Friday. The pair were part of an exchange group visiting New Zealand with Melbourne’s Monash University during a semester break.
Hollnsteiner’s cousin Veluz Eguia said he was ‘‘funny, kind, cool and a pleasure to be with’’.
‘‘I still can’t believe he’s gone. He was a fun-loving guy with a great sense of humour, he had a bright future.’’
Eguia said Hollnsteiner, who has two brothers, was a ‘‘loving son and brother, especially loved by his cousins’’.
He had spoken to Hollnsteiner’s parents, who were ‘‘heartbroken’’.
‘‘[They are] in disbelief, still trying to understand why.
‘‘It’s just hard to hear and know the level of sadness they are experiencing. No mother should bury their child.’’ Murphy’s brother Michael posted a tribute to his brother on Facebook:
‘‘Never thought I’d ever have to write this. Many of you may know that my big brother and best friend James Murphy have passed away in a tragic accident.
‘‘He is and forever will be a massive inspiration to me and many other people. He was the nicest and genuinely one of the best guys out there . . . You have given me and so many others such amazing memories, you always had a smile on your face and wouldn’t rest until everyone around you was smiling. I’ll miss you more than anything bro!’’
Tekapo Helicopters’ lead pilot Clint Miles and ground crew staff member Simon Turner were responsible for the recovery of all 11 people involved in the ill-fated expedition, including the two deceased.
‘‘We were pretty much dispatched to try and find the missing people and then also recovering them obviously as quickly as possible.’’
Miles said Lake Tekapo wouldn’t have been a nice place to be late on Friday afternoon. ‘‘It was interesting. It was quite gusty, 20 to 25 knots.’’
Those conditions added to the challenge of the rescue operation.
‘‘We landed or hovered next to them and Simon got them in. Some places we were unable to land at times, just due to the rocks and the wind.’’
He said they located the 11 kayakers spread out across a few kilometres.
‘‘Six of them were on the island (Motuariki), which is where the main group was, and five of them were scattered.’’
The bodies of Daniel Hollnsteiner and James Murphy were retrieved from the water about two kilometres apart. Three of the other kayakers were found near Lake McGregor.
Two, in the smaller group, were suffering from hypothermia when they were rescued.
‘‘They were shocked . . . almost delirious and incoherent.’’
Another member of the group was found alone and walking back towards Tekapo to raise the alarm.
Attempting that walk was the sort of behaviour that could be put down to hypothermia, Miles said.
The other six members of the group managed to get themselves to Motuariki Island and lit a fire.
‘‘They lit a fire to try and get a bit of warmth. I don’t know if it was to try and signal they needed help,’’ he said.
Mid-South Canterbury Area Commander Inspector Dave Gaskin said the rescue crew had saved lives on Friday.
‘‘If they hadn’t done a good job, we would have been looking at more (fatalities),’’ he said.
But those involved say they were just doing their job and their aim was simple.
‘‘It was obviously getting all of them, and everyone with hypothermia, back as quick as we could and accounting for everyone. We’re only part of the service around here. Everyone pitches in together. That’s just part of being in a small town,’’ Miles said
Tekapo senior constable Brent
Clint Miles Tekapo Helicopters’ lead pilot
Swanson also credited the Coastguard and volunteer firefighters for doing a great job during the rescue.
They were out after dark and this morning collecting kayaks, he said.
The Tekapo Volunteer Fire Brigade also pitched in, with many of the firefighters’ wives helping to provide medical assistance to the kayakers suffering from hypothermia, Swanson said.